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LAHAINA, Hawaii – Gonzaga was found in the same situation as the first five opponents of Duke: they seemed powerless before the Blue Devils and their recruits who were shaking around.
The Zags never panicked, they never watched the Blue Devils. They have too much experience to be shaken even against the most discussed team of college basketball.
No. 3, Gonzaga pushed Duke's charge to the top of the standings at the end of the match to win the Maui Invitational 89-97 on Wednesday.
"The experience plays an important role in this regard," said Gonzaga guard Zach Norvell Jr., who had 18 points. "We went down and made a few stops and we knew we were winning on the defensive side."
Gonzaga (6-0) had an offensive show in the first half and slumped into defense after Duke charged in the second half, stopping four shots in the final 46 seconds to win his second title in the second half. Maui.
Rui Hachimura scored 20 points and the Zags beat a No. 1 team for the first time while ending the defeated Blue Devils on Valley Isle (17-1).
Nicknamed Killie Tillie's Final Four contestant, Gonzaga already looks like one – even with one of their best players on the bench in a walking shoe.
"The light was on tonight and we played well, what you have to do against Duke," said Gonzaga coach Mark Few. "We have to play pretty well, I thought we played very well."
The Duke (5-1), five-time champion of Maui, facilitated the first five games of the season. His fantastic new players have come under the spotlight, not allowing themselves to be knocked down while appearing unbeatable.
The experienced Zags taught them the movement of the ball, orchestrating a master class in fluid basketball without a position, while building a 14-point lead in the first period.
Duke's Maui runs, it's done.
Well, not yet.
The Blue Devils dropped 16 points in the second half before launching the Blue Devil Express with a series of dunks and shots over the rim.
Taking advantage of Brandon Clarke's fourth foul, Gonzaga's big man, Duke found himself in a basket as fans of the Blue Devils sent an earthquake on the beams of the tiny civic center of Lahaina.
Hachimura allowed Gonzaga to go up 89-87 with a solid move of the basket 75 seconds from the end, but the Zags continued to give Duke opportunities by missing four free throws. Clarke slammed for two minutes in 30 seconds and Hachimura went empty two more minutes in 10 seconds.
Gonzaga's defense made up for that.
Hachimuru and Clarke each had two shots blocked in the last minute, headed by R. Clarke's net. Barrett's attempt at driving the buzzer.
A seated Barrett raised his arms wondering why no fault was called. The Zags made a leap forward after a game with a Final Four in a small town recreation center.
Barrett had 23 points and Zion Williamson had 22 points for the Blue Devils who were suddenly humiliated.
"We finally started fighting in the last 14 minutes, while before we were not as emotionally ready as Gonzaga," said Javin DeLaurier, of Duke, who got six points and six rebounds.
It was the game everyone was expecting when the Maui Invitational got another title under a big top between the Blue Devils and the electrically efficient Zags.
Duke and his future lottery choose San Diego State's Steam and survive No. 8 Auburn to reach his sixth title match at Maui in six years. Gonzaga survived the frenzied attack of Illinois and staged a second-half show to beat Arizona in the semifinals.
The Blue Devils got the better of one of the top five teams to open the season. 2 Kentucky looks like a JV team.
The Zags not only did not back down, they launched the first punch.
Forcing Duke's defenders to move from one screen to the other, Gonzaga played better than the Blue Devils. The Zags have virtually eliminated Duke's great man, Bolden Brands, who had seven shots blocked in the semifinals, out of the game with his ball movement and created many open looks for himself.
"They were just dictating the flow," said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. "I mean we were not playing a good defense, but they were playing a big offense."
When Clarke went on the bench with his fourth foul in the middle of the second half, Gonzaga went into a stall. Duke set up a race, a sixth Maui title at hand.
The Zags crushed Duke's offer.
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NO. 8 AUBURN 74, ARIZONA 57
Bryce Brown scored 19 points, Malik Dunbar added 15 and number 8 Auburn moved away from Arizona to win third place in the 73-57 Maui Invitational.
Auburn (5-1) gave Duke, first in the standings, his first real test of the season in the semifinal before losing by six. The Tigers built a 10-point lead over Arizona, allowed the Wildcats to come close to one point and took control with an 11-0 run in the second half to climb 14 points.
Brandon Randolph had 18 points and Justin Coleman 16 for Arizona (4-2).
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STATE IOWA 87, STATE OF SAN DIEGO 57
Marial Shayok scored 21 points, Michael Jacobson added 19, and Iowa eliminated San Diego 87-57 to claim fifth place in the Maui Invitational.
The Cyclones (5-1) jumped early on the Aztecs, building a 14-point lead at half-time and pushing relentlessly to end the tournament on a positive note.
Matt Mitchell led the state of San Diego (3-2) with 14 points.
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XAVIER 83, ILLINOIS 74
Quentin Goodin scored 15 points, Elias Harden added 14 and Xavier dominated the second half to beat Illinois 83-74 at the seventh-place Maui Invitational.
The Musketeers (3-3) lost in overtime to No. 8 Auburn and another tight game against the San Diego State in their first two matches on Maui. Xavier had 17 turnovers against Illinois' frantic style of play, but caught up with 57%.
Ayo Dosunmu had 19 points and Trent Frazier scored 18 for the Illini (1-4).
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